Journeys By Jillhttps://journeysbyjill.com
Winging it around the world.
Thu, 28 Feb 2019 16:52:18 +0000 en
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1 http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/8b53c437a4c9758ba8ba3b8b4c18d610?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs0.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngJourneys By Jillhttps://journeysbyjill.com
Moon Over Gaffneyhttps://journeysbyjill.com/2015/02/20/moon-over-gaffney/
https://journeysbyjill.com/2015/02/20/moon-over-gaffney/#respondFri, 20 Feb 2015 16:29:37 +0000http://journeysbyjill.com/?p=5859Continue reading →]]>I was having a particularly good day a couple of days ago. My recent birthday was happy. Work is picking up. But the icing on the cake was an email from Wall Street Journal reporter Valerie Bauerlein asking if she could quote me in an upcoming article. Of course I immediately called her.

She was writing an article about the problems of painting the Peachoid in Gaffney, South Carolina and had found a blog post and TripAdvisor review I had written.

The TripAdvisor.com review said:

It’s great if you are a 12-year-old or just have a 12 year old’s sense of humor From the northbound side of I-85 it is definitely a giant peach with a 60 foot leaf. However, if you are heading southbound it looks like you are being mooned. It’s always good for a giggle.

Very pleased that it would be such a juvenile quote, I jumped in with a resounding “YES!” When she told me it would run Friday (2/20/15) and would be on the front page below the fold, I was excited but didn’t want to say anything until I saw it in print. Working in news, I know that stories can be bumped for breaking news.

This morning I was a believer. It’s one thing to find it on both the US and European online versions but I still had to dash out and buy a copy to see if it really was on the front page.

Yup it is! Sniff, I am so proud that my worldwide quote is about a water tower painted to look like peach, but from the right angle it looks like a giant butt with a hemorrhoid. FRONT PAGE of the Wall Street Journal!

]]>https://journeysbyjill.com/2015/02/20/moon-over-gaffney/feed/0IMG_0455journeysbyjillPeachoidIMG_0447IMG_0450R.I.P. Rudyhttps://journeysbyjill.com/2014/06/01/r-i-p-rudy/
https://journeysbyjill.com/2014/06/01/r-i-p-rudy/#respondSun, 01 Jun 2014 17:41:48 +0000http://journeysbyjill.com/?p=5841Continue reading →]]>He was born on Valentine’s Day in 2000. He was a sweetheart and a brat. Insistent, tenacious, athletic and super smart. He loved mushrooms and bacon.

Rudy was the Cornish Rex cat that kept us entertained for 14 years. He fetched, and he devised special tortures for each of us.

My tailored tortures included him banging on the picture on the wall next to my side of the bed when he wanted me to wake up. He would also drink water out of my glass on my nightstand so I got a lid, which he promptly learned how to knock off.

For Mike, he loved to swipe at his shoelaces as Mike tried to tie his shoes. With our dog Buddy, he would play with toys in front of him until Buddy decided that he was the only one who could play with toys and take it away from Rudy. Some days he would just sit around with his tongue sticking out.

He loved snuggling up and sleeping with his third canine friend, Dingo, until Rudy got very thin. I think he was in pain and didn’t want anyone to touch him too much. He weighed 5 pounds, 4 oz on a Friday in May, which was almost a pound less than when we weighed him 2 weeks before. In his prime, he weighed 9 pounds. We couldn’t watch him suffer any longer. So while we’re sad, we know we did the right thing when we released him from his pain. We will miss him.

]]>https://journeysbyjill.com/2014/06/01/r-i-p-rudy/feed/0journeysbyjillIMG_0373The Book of Mormonhttps://journeysbyjill.com/2014/01/16/the-book-of-mormon/
https://journeysbyjill.com/2014/01/16/the-book-of-mormon/#respondThu, 16 Jan 2014 15:41:17 +0000http://journeysbyjill.com/?p=5798Continue reading →]]>It’s a raunchy, provocative over the top parody. It’s offensive to some and hilarious to others, including me. No wonder. The Broadway hit musical The Book of Mormon is by the same people who brought us the irreverent Colorado based cartoon South Park.

No surprise that Trey Parker and Matt Stone would take on this subject. Religion has been a giant target for South Park topics. Their very first animated version based on the South Park characters was called Jesus vs. Frosty. That morphed into a 1995 Christmas video for a Fox executive called Jesus vs. Santa.

If you think the Mormon Church would shun this ultra-deep ribbing, you would be wrong. Instead of condemning the play, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has embraced it and even supports it with THREE full-page ads in the program!

From the first ring of a doorbell to the last curtain call I was riveted with a smile chiseled on my face.

It’s the story of a Mormon missionary assigned to Uganda for his two-year mission. He was hoping for Orlando. Sounds innocent enough. And while the translation of the song Hasa Diga Eebowaiwill be shockingly sacrilegious to some, Turn It Offconveys a feeling of innocence and naiveté.

My husband Mike and I had seats in a nosebleed box, way above the left side of the stage. Didn’t care. We could still see and hear everything. I was just happy to be in the theater and didn’t feel like I missed anything. Anyone not easily offended should snap up tickets as soon as they go on sale.

And I cheated. Before the show I looked up the lyrics for some of the songs so I knew what was coming and could focus on the performance rather than listening intently to the words.

An earworm of the song I Believe was dancing through our heads after the standing ovation. While I can’t find it in any of the credits, I’m pretty sure that was Trey Parker playing the pre-taped voice Jesus. A fun surprise!

]]>https://journeysbyjill.com/2014/01/16/the-book-of-mormon/feed/0Ticket for The Book of Mormon MusicaljourneysbyjillThe Book of MormonThe Book of Mormon setNan & Byron’s Restauranthttps://journeysbyjill.com/2014/01/03/nan-byrons-restaurant/
https://journeysbyjill.com/2014/01/03/nan-byrons-restaurant/#respondFri, 03 Jan 2014 15:18:47 +0000http://journeysbyjill.com/?p=5770Continue reading →]]>I’m always game to try a new restaurant. A place called Nan & Byron’s recently made its debut in the old Vinnie’s Sardine Grill & Raw Bar spot on South Boulevard near East. The folks from 5Church are behind this new venture. All the cupboards were bare. So we figured what the heck.

It was a weekend night, so we called and made a reservation. We arrived within a half hour of making the reservation and the place was packed. Expecting a wait, we were pleasantly surprised when they quickly whisked us to a table in the bar area.

A basket of popcorn arrived at the table instead of the usual basket of bread. We paired that with a couple of glasses of Prosecco while we perused the menu.

Recent reviews mentioned the decibel level and they were on the mark. We could barely hear each other across the table. Good thing they were playing great music. We ended up rocking out and singing while waiting for our food.

The small Caesar salad ($5) was described accurately. Nothing remarkable except that it came in the tiniest of bowls making it difficult to eat.

131 Main’s “Awesome Roast Beef Sandwich”

I am always on a quest for a good French Dip so there was no question that I was ordering it here. I love the dip that they call the “Awesome Roast Beef Sandwich” at 131 Main. At $16 a pop, though, I am on the lookout for an alternative.

Nan & Byron’s French Dip

The French Dip at Nan and Byron’s rings in at $9.50. I’m sad to say that it was just okay. The beef was not as rare as 131 Main’s and tasted more like something from the deli counter than slow-roasted beef I’m accustomed to. I’m not saying it was a bad sandwich. It’s just that 131 Main sets a high bar.

The “sweet potato fries” were really waffle sweet potatoes. They were also a disappointment. Because they have holes in them, there is less potato on the inside. The bowl they came in was the same size bowl that the Caesar salad was jammed into: more appropriate for a side than a salad.

Mike described his dinner presentation as “silly.” He ordered the Chicken entrée ($14). It was supposed to come with Peruvian green sauce and two sides and technically it did. He chose mac n’ cheese and peas and carrots for his sides. The green sauce was topped with a few peas and carrots, and 8 or 9 mac n’ cheese noodles and then the chicken. It was tasty but he wanted sides, not garnish. On the menu, they are charging $4 for a side. Hopefully they are bigger than the “sides” that arrived on Mike’s plate.

Still, we had a lot of fun people watching and singing classic rock songs. I’m hoping these are just growing pains and they will straighten out the kinks with time. Our total tab for 3 glasses of Prosecco, salad, the French dip and chicken was $46.50 before tax and tip.

I haven’t nixed this one from the list yet but there are a bunch of new restaurants opening in Charlotte that I want to try first. But I will be back for a second try.

]]>https://journeysbyjill.com/2014/01/03/nan-byrons-restaurant/feed/0Nan & Byron's Restaurant signjourneysbyjillNan & Byron's Restaurant BarNan & Byron's Restaurant Nan & Byron's Restaurant MenuNan & Byron's Restaurant131 Main's "Awesome Roast Beef Sandwich"Nan & Byron's French DipNan & Byron's ChickenNan & Byron's Nan & Byron's Restaurant BillFlorida’s Space Coast Eatshttps://journeysbyjill.com/2013/12/31/floridas-space-coast-eats/
https://journeysbyjill.com/2013/12/31/floridas-space-coast-eats/#respondTue, 31 Dec 2013 22:10:26 +0000http://journeysbyjill.com/?p=5744Continue reading →]]>Besides turkey, we ate fairly well while in Florida for the week of Thanksgiving. My brother and his family recently moved to Indialantic. We’re always game for exploring a new area, especially for its restaurants. Also, about an hour away in Port St. Lucie, I met up with a dear friend at a popular breakfast place. What follows is a wrap-up of my dining adventures including the best home fries EVER!

At first glance, The BeachSide Cafe looks like just another hole-in-the-wall dive. This locals’ favorite is just a block from the beach near the intersection of Highway 192 and A1A. Park around back.

Pumpkin Pancake

Step inside and the welcome is warm. The service matches the welcome and the food! The food surpasses all expectations.

BeachSide Cafe Eggs Benedict

Everything everyone in our group of six ordered was delicious, from the Eggs Benedict to the Eggs Benedict Florentine with fresh baby spinach to the pumpkin pancakes. But what stands out for me are their home fries.

Home fries seem so simple but are rarely cooked well. Most of the time they are crunchy on the outside but hard and not fully cooked on the inside. Not so at the BeachSide Café. These nuggets of deliciousness have the consistency of mashed potatoes on the inside encapsulated by a perfectly light char. Woven through out are browned bits of onions to add just enough flavor. I don’t remember ever having any home fries like them anywhere. I wish I knew their secret.

About a block and half away from the BeachSide is Bizarro New York Pizza. Evidently there are several Bizarro Pizzas in the area but this is the original. Bring cash. That’s all they take. There’s an expensive ATM if you are short on hard currency. We called in our order for 3 giant pizzas.

Indialantic FL Beach

Bizarro is not a sit-down restaurant. Customers order at the counter and stand around waiting. Or claim one of a handful of tables inside or the several picnic tables outside.

Bizarro offers whole pies, or by the slice as well as baked pastas, hot and cold subs and other Italian fare.

I know what I’m about to say is sacrilege to most of the world; I’m cheese impaired. I don’t like melty goopy cheese. As I’ve gotten older I have learned to tolerate some types of cheese, usually grated, in some dishes and even use some in a select few recipes (such as Caesar dressing) at home. Other than that, I steer clear. Still, the only way I eat pizza is cheeseless. (I’ll pause for the gasps.)

No More Turkey!

In every other place I’ve ordered a cheeseless pizza they just omit the cheese but make it as they would any other pizza. My half pizza had mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes…and that’s it. I guess when they read no cheese, they thought it also meant no tomato sauce. Imagine a very thin New York style crust baked with some mushrooms, tomato slices and some garlic. I don’t even think there was any olive oil or anything else so it was kind of tasteless cardboard. Mike wasn’t impressed with the cheesed up slices he had either. But for beachgoers, it’s a casual atmosphere steps away from the shore.

Seven of us were sick of turkey and wanted something different for dinner. The thought of trying to get a table on Thanksgiving weekend made our heads explode. We decided instead on Thai take-out.

Thai Tha II Beef Pad Thai

Initially, my reaction to the prices on the Thai Thai II menu was that they were kind of steep. In the long run, it turns out I was wrong.

No one held back. We got everything from Gyoza to Green Curry and Pad Thai to Panang Curry.

Thai Thai II Chicken

We called in the order and when we arrived 10 minutes later they were putting the food into bags. For about $90 we got an unbelievable amount of good food.

The order was perfect. We got everything we asked for and it was packed well for travel. While the prices are a bit higher, the value is better. The containers are twice as large as my hometown Thai place. Much to our delight, there were plenty of leftovers which lead to experiments with various iterations of turkey curry.

I moved to Florida when I was a sophomore in high school. My English teacher seated students in alphabetical order by last name. That’s how I met Leanne. Back then we both had last names that started with G so we always sat next to each other. We’ve been besties ever since.

Since I was going to be only a two-hour drive from Indialantic to her house in Palm Beach County, instead of eleven from Charlotte, we decided to meet halfway in Port St. Lucie. Leanne did the research and came up with the Berry Fresh Cafe. It’s in a strip mall across from WalMart close to I-95 and the food choices were very tempting.

After catching up over coffee, we turned to the daunting menu. Everything looked good. Leanne settled on the Traditional Very Berry Eggs Benedict. I was all set to get the O.M.G. Shrimp-N-Grits but at the last minute I decided it sounded too heavy after Thanksgiving dinner the day before. When I saw that they had Challah bread, I knew I wanted thick buttery Challah toast, smoked bacon and home fries. It was everything I hoped for. Leanne’s was wonderful as well. She was happy she danced on the wild side and got a side of grits.

Our waitress had no problem with us lingering for as long as we wanted. She even took a few pictures of us. When the manager found out that it was the first time there for both of us, he gave us each a certificate for $5 off. What’s even more amazing is that they allowed us to use one on this visit. If I’m ever in the area again, I will definitely be back. Leanne is already planning on going to their Jupiter, FL location.

I’ve been to the Kennedy Space Center once: in January 1986, the day after the space shuttle Challenger exploded during lift-off. I was producing a radio talk show hosted by Woody Paige (columnist for the Denver Post and on ESPN) for a radio station in Denver, Colorado. The plan was to spend a few days at EPCOT and then cover the launch. Adding to the pre-launch excitement, Christa McAuliffe was scheduled to make history as the first teacher in space.

Unfortunately for our crew, at the last minute management decided it didn’t want to spend $2,000 for the phone line we needed for the broadcast. No live broadcast meant no seat at the launch.

It was awfully cold that morning – so cold that we were all shopping for socks because our feet were freezing. We were told the temperature was too low for a launch and expected it to be cancelled so we went to lunch at a restaurant in EPCOT’s version of Japan.

Midway through the meal our visibly upset waitress told us that something had just gone terribly wrong with the launch. We raced outside to see all that was left of the shuttle: that horrible squiggly smoke plume in the sky. It was surreal being on a Disney property during a breaking major news event.

The next day the geniuses back in Denver at the radio station coughed up $5,000 for a phone line so we could cover the follow-up to the tragedy from the press box at the Space Center.

In retrospect, I am relieved we weren’t on the grounds for the launch. It was bad enough to see the aftermath from EPCOT. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be surrounded by friends and family of the astronauts. My goal for this trip is to replace those memories and see what’s changed since I was last here.

My brother and his family moved to the Space Coast of Florida shortly before we arrived so this is new territory for exploration. We left my brother and his wife to unpack boxes and headed to Cocoa Beach and the Kennedy Space Center.

Hubby Mike, niece Jamie, her 6-year-old daughter A.J. and I went through security and the turnstiles a little after 11:00am. Big mistake. Pretty much every attraction has a 10:00 – 11:00 start time and nothing repeats until after lunch. There is no way to know this before we arrived because the schedule is nowhere to be found online. The only schedule we saw was the one that was handed to us with our ticket.

Besides the bus tour, our only other choice is the 11:30 tour explaining the Rocket Garden. But before that starts, A.J. wanted to see what’s in the Nature Center. We do a quick zip around the exhibit of stuffed Florida animals shown in their natural habitats.

The Rocket Garden tour was just getting started so we shuffled along with the group of tourists for a few minutes, craning our necks upwards towards the tiny capsules topping the missiles. We marveled at the bravery and trust it would take to climb into one of those things and then be blasted into space. I’m sure standing up close to these almost flimsy-looking projectiles has changed more than one mind formerly excited about space travel. The early examples are little more than tubes with a tin can for passengers on top. Immediately, I have even more respect for the rocket scientists who figured out how to blast people into space and for every astronaut who trusted those scientists with their lives.

To keep the little one engaged, we broke off from the tour and opted for a self-guided version. Jamie and A.J. took a moment to shimmy into in a replica of an Apollo spacecraft capsule. It sits just below the nose of the giant 223-foot (68 m) Saturn 18 rocket.

Next we followed in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin as we walked across the same service arm that took them from the launch tower to the command module of Apollo 11 on their way to the moon’s Sea of Tranquility.

A.J. admitted that science is nice, but she likes to play. This said just before she made a beeline for the Children’s Play Dome: one of those large, padded, caged structures packed with ladders, slides and shrieking children.

Still imagining we were working our way towards the bus tour; we got sidetracked again, this time by the Angry Birds slingshot game and mirror maze. Though it has absolutely nothing to do with the Space Center except loosely teaching trajectory, kids love it and it is an energy burner.

Eventually, angry birds morphed into hungry birds so we wandered in search of food. There are several concession stands with space related names such as the G-Force Grill, where you can have a beer with a hot dog or turkey leg or the Rocket Garden Café, which has sandwiches and salads. And there’s a food truck called PERK or the Pastry Espresso Retrieval Kiosk.

The closest one in our path was the Orbit Café, cafeteria style dining with decent food. We spent about $38 on a cheeseburger ($7.59), hot dog ($6.39) and an adult ($7.29) and child’s ($4.99) order of chicken tenders and three bottles of water ($3.29 each). Meals come with fries or fruit, which on that day was sliced apples.

Though it was already after 1:00pm, with the last bus tour leaving at 2:30, we figured we could squeeze in a quick peek at the shuttle Atlantis exhibit. Entering the building, we had no idea what we were in for. The circular walkway ramp up to the exhibit was crowded with people. On a really busy day this might take a while. Like clueless cattle we walked to the end of the line and waited. It’s not long before we were herded into a large room. A slightly hokey black and white cartoon doesn’t reveal what’s to come.

I don’t want to spoil your experience. So, let’s just say that the sort of hokey 50’s time warp video used to explain the genesis of the Shuttle Program gives way to a dramatic and breathtaking introduction to Atlantis.

Surrounding Atlantis, is a multimedia mix that includes over 60 interactive exhibits and simulators. It is very well done. It’s almost too much to take in. We barely scratched the surface. No surprise, the 6-year-old was in overdrive.

Interactive kiosks explain each section of the spacecraft. Kids and adults alike clamor to sit in replicas of the Atlantis’ pilot seat where you’re at the yoke to land (or crash, or wander too far off-course) Atlantis. Others allow you to try your hand seeing what it’s like to move objects in space. They even have a space toilet with instructions on how it’s done with no gravity!

A kids-only space station exhibit with a clear tube that hangs about two stories above the floor freaked out A.J. She didn’t want to cross it because she was afraid it would break. Eventually she crossed the bridge; just before we were about to go in and get her. (Ten kids behind her crossed over without batting an eye.) All was quickly forgotten with a ride down a giant slide.

Jamie and I were lured into the launch experience. If you are 44” or taller and in reasonably good health, for six minutes you get to experience rockets firing, movement called twang, shaking and head banging and having your face smashed back to simulate G forces. Once in orbit the simulator tilts forward so you are kind of hanging, while the large top doors open allowing a view of the earth and stars. Mike missed it because we mistakenly thought A.J. wasn’t tall enough to ride. (Even though I didn’t see any signs, I was told no photography was allowed, but someone else didn’t get that message and posted a video of the complete experience.) I could easily have spent a couple more hours at the Atlantis exhibit.

No surprise. We missed the last bus tour. This truly bummed me out. I really wanted to see the LC-39 Launch Complex Observation Gantry and Apollo /Saturn V Center. If possible, I wanted to see where we broadcast from when I was there the last time.

Overall, considering what little we saw, our experience at the Kennedy Space Center was very positive. Jamie, an armchair scientist who flew into the living room one afternoon to hear a news update on the TV about the Comet ISON said it was “awesome.” Her daughter A.J. gave it a thumbs up. Mike and I were equally impressed with the whole experience.

But there were some kinks. I think we would have seen everything we wanted to see if the website was more helpful for trip planning. The “Plan A Trip” section (under “Info”) would be a great place to post the quarterly schedule of events, show and tour times with a link to the interactive map. But you won’t find any of that there. As a matter of fact, if there is a schedule online, I haven’t found it after weeks of searching.

What’s included in a General Admission ticket? Everything at the Visitor’s Center except Lunch with an Astronaut; the bus tour; and admission to the Astronaut Hall of Fame which is a couple miles away. I think I cobbled together what is included on the bus tour. I know it includes a stop at the Apollo /Saturn V Center. It looks like there’s another at the LC-39 Launch Complex Observation Gantry and a drive by the space shuttle launch pad. But don’t hold me to it. It’s just a guess. And I would love to know why the bus tours end so early.

The interactive map sheds a bit more light on what is included in each tour. But I didn’t think to look at the map (the link is on the front page) until after our visit. Specific tours are also broken down on a sign at the kiosks where you buy tickets.

Yes, prices are high but the Kennedy Space Center does not get taxpayer money. You can pick up discount coupons from any tourist spot including welcome centers, hotels and some restaurants. Those will usually knock $5 off the ticket price. Because I believe in full disclosure, the press office provided four comp general admission tickets normally $50 each for adults and $40 for children for my family and me. But free admission did not color my opinion. This is a fantastic way to spend a day and is well worth the price.

Learn from my mistakes. Get there when the gates open and head directly to the included bus tour to get a general overview and then see the Atlantis exhibit. That alone could take up most of the day. Only after you do those must-see exhibits can you choose what else time and schedules permit you to see. The Mega Tour has great reviews online and I imagine the rest of the tours are fascinating as well.

If you have an iPhone, use the Google map app to set your course. The iPhone ‘Maps’ app doesn’t route properly. It has two Kennedy Space Center listings and both take you miles from the Visitor’s Center.

In addition to your tickets, you will pay $10 to park a car, $5 for motorcycles and $15 for RVs. They take cash or credit cards.

Bottom line, to avoid missing anything, get to the Kennedy Space Center as early as you can. Better yet, plan on at least two days.

To bring the space experience full circle, yes, I now have a set of pleasant memories of the Kennedy Space Center.

I had hoped to end this post with video of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch that was scheduled to launch during our too-short visit. Twice on Thanksgiving, we all dashed outside with cameras in hand watching the countdown on cell phones. And twice the launch was aborted in the last seconds. The good news is that with more commercial rockets being launched, there’s a chance to plan a visit to the Kennedy Space Center around the launch schedule.

The SpaceX Falcon went up a few days after we left. My brother shot these pictures of that launch including the rocket separation. Hopefully we’ll catch one next time.

Coby McLaughlin and I spent many hours discussing every topic imaginable including the taboos of world politics and religion; how radio stations work; and the fine art of the perfect iced espresso. The banter was good. A day didn’t go by without an interesting conversation. Oh, and he’s not bad to look at either! Coby has been on a ton of TV shows. One fun one was his stint as a yoga instructor on Mike & Molly. He was also successful in photo bombing almost every picture anyone took with me.

Barry Corbin and Jill

Barry Corbin has 187 credits on his IMDB (Internet Movie Database) page. To say he’s had a long and interesting career is an understatement. This is one hard-working man and he’s not slowing down anytime soon. In 2013 he has 9 projects including his work on the TV series Anger Managementwith Charlie and Martin Sheen. And he already has 5 projects in the can for 2014. You might remember him as Ellis in the 2007 movie No Country for Old Men.

Barry Corbin, Coby McLaughlin and Jill

If you’re older, he’s Maurice J. Minnifield from the 1990 – 1995 TV show Northern Exposure. Northern Exposure took place in the fictionalized eccentric small town called Cicely, in the bush of Alaska. When the show was on the air, I was co-hosting the morning show on a Classic Rock radio station in Anchorage, Alaska. One of our weekly bits was to watch the show on Monday night and call CBS on Tuesday morning to give them a list of all the things that weren’t Alaskan. We called it the Alaska Mistakes Sweepstakes. The show was shot in Washington state so we figured it was fair game for pot shots. Our listeners loved it.

Jill and Bob Gunton

People recognize Bob Gunton’s face but don’t always know his name and that’s a shame. This man is a true talent. His credits are long and include Clint Eastwood’s Trouble with the Curve; Ben Affleck’s Argo and the evil warden in The Shawshank Redemption. And those are just some of the movies. His TV credits have big names as well – Desperate Housewives; Nip/Tuck; and 24. Before his screen career, Bob was nominated for a Tony Award for his portrayal of President Juan Perón in the original Broadway production of Evita. This is one heavy hitter with an all-star cast. Patti LuPone played Eva Perón and Mandy Patinkin was Che. Yet here I am swapping recipes for roasting veggies with this sweet man. It was an honor to have a chance to get to know him a bit.

Lin Shaye and Jill

Most people these days recognize Lin Shaye as Elise Rainier from the Insidious franchise of horror movies. I know her best as Magda, from the hysterical movie There’s Something About Mary. She plays Cameron Diaz’s neighbor with skin equal to John Boehner’s orange hue. Within minutes of meeting we were cackling loudly about travel, life and boasting about our spectacular pets.

Valerie Azlynn and Jill

By far my favorite, most twisted stories came out of the mouth of Valerie Azlynn. We clicked immediately bragging to each other about the stupendous examples our single mothers set for us with their determination, perseverance and hard work. I love, love, love her delicious sense of humor. Here’s a gorgeous, funny, smart woman who would speak and everything that came out was a showstopper. Who could compete when she starts with surviving open heart surgery at age 13? She lived in a tiny closet of a room when she started out in New York City. It had a shelf (loft?) that held her mattress. She lost 30 pounds during that period not because she was a pretentious actress, but because she lived on $14,000 in New York City and couldn’t afford food or transportation so she walked everywhere. The stories got more outrageous from there. They would make great fiction except they are true. Valerie aspires to be an opera singer. She still has a couple of years before her voice “matures” so in the meantime, she’s in the TBS series Sullivan and Son.

You can get a taste of her personality from when she appeared on the The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. She gave me a behind the scenes look at what it’s like to be a guest on his show. Henry Winkler was another guest the day she was on. The producers sit you in a room and have guests watch a week’s worth of previous shows so you know what’s been going on. That week, they had been doing a bit where everyone speaks German when Craig rings a bell. See her segment here.

Clifton Powell includes Ray in his more than 170 movie and television credits. One of the women at the front desk of the hotel where some of the cast were staying was speechless when he came to check in. She wasn’t forewarned so when he arrived, she said in her head, “That looks like Clifton Powell.” When he took off his sunglasses she knew it was him and froze, giddy with excitement. Luckily for him, someone else was checking him in.

Mountain Top is in post production. Of course I’ll post when and where it will be shown as soon as I know.

]]>https://journeysbyjill.com/2013/11/24/stars-shine-on-mountain-top/feed/20IMG_2799journeysbyjillCoby Ryan McLaughlin and JillBarry Corbin and JillBarry Corbin, Coby McLaughlin and JillJill and Bob GuntonLin Shaye and JillValerie Azlynn and JillValerie Azlynn and JillDanny Vinson, Coby McLaughlin and JillJill and GregAlan Williams on the set of Mountain TopMountain Tophttps://journeysbyjill.com/2013/11/18/mountain-top/
https://journeysbyjill.com/2013/11/18/mountain-top/#commentsMon, 18 Nov 2013 22:34:54 +0000http://journeysbyjill.com/?p=5334Continue reading →]]>It’s day 18 of an 18-day movie shoot and we’re all exhausted from 12+ hour days so it’s quite wonderful to spend the last day on Grandfather Mountain near Linville, North Carolina. As production coordinator, my job is pretty much done so I am hanging at our holding area at the Nature Museum while everyone else is on the Cliffside Overlook.

Having never been on the mountain, I jumped at an offer from the head of communications to take me to the top and the mile high Swinging Bridge. What a glorious view! It was supposed to be breezy and frigid with single digit temperatures but the winds died down and it turned out to be a spectacular day. The weather scared everyone so we practically have the mountain to ourselves.

We chose to hike up the stairway instead of taking the elevator. After not going to the gym for over a month, I’m breathing heavily but it’s the view that takes my breath away. The night before, some snow had fallen and it’s still covering some of the tree branches.

Other than the smoke from a wildfire that had broken out near the Linville Gorge the day before, the sky is clear as could be. We could almost see Charlotte shimmering in the distance, more than a hundred miles away.

Later, back at the Nature Museum, I wander down to the animal habitats. The animals here have been injured to the point where they would probably not survive back in the wild. It’s sort of an animal retirement village.

First I spot the giant bald eagles. These two are HUGE! Up in Alaska, where I lived for a while, eagles are a dime a dozen. They’re also considered scavengers and a threat to certain other species. In Homer we learned that eagles were killing off other birds by eating their eggs. But these NC raptors remind me of what majestic creatures they are.

The black bears are in an enclosure that deceivingly (or so I am told) looks like they can get out. A worker explains that the walls curve under where I am standing and there is a gully below the wall. The enclosure is made of natural and man-made features including dens for the bears to hangout. Since North Carolina is so far south, these guys don’t normally hibernate like the bears in, say, Alaska. We stare at each other for a bit. Clearly I am not captivating them. After giving me the once-over they walk away out of sight.

The cougars are typical cats and pay no attention to me. One is just below where I am standing, keeping an eye on his habitat mate. I get the impression that they are not in love with each other.

Otters are little performers. I stood there for just a few moments before this guy started doing backflips for a full minute and a half. What a show-off!

I’m sad to say goodbye to my film-making family of the last month and a half. They are funny and talented. Together, we are a well-oiled machine. As the sun sets below the distant mountains, the director calls picture wrap and we all head on down from the Mountain Top.

]]>https://journeysbyjill.com/2013/11/18/mountain-top/feed/4View from Mountain TopjourneysbyjillView from Mountain TopGrandfather Mountain's Swinging BridgeGrandfather Mountain tourist BinocularsView from top of Grandfather Mountain PanoramaBald EagleBlack BearCougarIMG_2883gGrandfather Mountain OttersPlaying Tourist in Charlotte Day 3https://journeysbyjill.com/2013/11/07/playing-tourist-in-charlotte-day-3/
https://journeysbyjill.com/2013/11/07/playing-tourist-in-charlotte-day-3/#respondThu, 07 Nov 2013 17:13:39 +0000http://journeysbyjill.com/?p=5684Continue reading →]]>Corn mazes are something that I always thought were child’s play. That is until hubby Mike and I, along with Boston visitor Bill decided to take on the biggest one in the southeast.

First some fuel. In keeping with my rule of trying new places for Bill’s annual visits, we settled on Café 100 in Huntersville. High marks on Yelp and UrbanSpoon made it look like the hot spot for brunch in the Lake Norman area.

Pumpkin Pancake

The gray day didn’t deter us from sitting on the porch. Inside, a few tables were shoehorned in on top of each other. The deck was covered and heated.

Pumpkin pancakes arrived both bready and gummy. The syrup was the high fructose corn syrup variety. Not real maple syrup and none available. Bill said his Eggs Benedict were good. I ordered toast, bacon and home fries.

Our indifferent, high school-aged waiter paid no attention to our orders. Not surprisingly, several came out wrong; wrong kind of toast, missing flatware, the timing of the food. Mike’s Western omelet had a pathetically small dab of tomato-based sauce. He would have asked for more if our waiter hadn’t disapparated to Hogwarts.

Bill’s Eggs Benedict

When the bill came, it was just a total. Nothing was itemized. We had no idea what the charges were for. For all we knew, we were paying the tab for someone else’s table. It’s hard to believe that this breakfast for three was in the $50 neighborhood including tax and tip. We would have been much happier having breakfast in Charlotte at the Original Pancake House or Toast instead. Hard to believe the place was packed with a long line waiting. The Lake Norman area desperately needs a decent breakfast spot.

Time to get some exercise. Even though there was a fine mist, we braved the weather and headed for The Amazing Maize Maze. After paying $10 each, organizers sent us to the orientation tent.

We quickly realized that this was going to be no walk in the park. Not only did we have to use our imaginations, we had to do some hiking to escape the clutches of the corn.

This year’s maze was mowed out in the shape of a barn, windmill and tractor. Hidden somewhere in the maize were a dozen mailboxes that each had a small square of the completed map. We were instructed to grab a flag mounted on a very tall pole and carry it with us at all times. We were to wave it if we need help.

We entered the maze at 10:15am. Our original strategy was to stick to the outer perimeter to get the lay of the land. That’s how we spied our first mailbox. Nothing but a few cornstalks and the colored ribbon blocked our way. Being so darn honest, we vowed not to break the rules and cut through the corn…but it’s right there!

We pushed on blindly and stumbled upon another mailbox by mistake. And that’s how we spent the next hour and 56 minutes. Only towards the end, did we finally make our way to that first mailbox we spotted on the way in.

Later, I was telling someone about the maze and they told me they had never heard of one that made you find map pieces. I think that’s what made it so much more fun. Even in the fine drizzle, we had a good time. There were plenty of all-knowing volunteers meandering throughout, eagerly handing out hints or directions to the port-o-potty and water barrel.

We had a few hours to kill before Bill had to head to the airport. On his trip last year, we went in search of filming locations for the Showtime TV show Homeland. Since he was here last, I found Mike Faber’s townhouse on 8th at the corner of Church Street so we did a drive-by.

When the subject of lunch came up, I knew exactly where we should go. A few weeks earlier, I had gone to a reunion dinner for a Turner South network show I worked on called Homemakers. An all female construction crew transformed a nasty boarding house into a stately home. All but one of the 6 hosts along with a few crew members met for dinner one weeknight at Cowbell in Uptown Charlotte. Shelley, a former host on Homemakers is a partner in this and several other restaurant ventures around town.

Somewhere under that bun is a burger – worst food pic ever!

Since that reunion night, I had been dreaming about the Umami Burger. It was a perfectly cooked patty of good beef served on a sesame Kaiser roll and topped with roasted shiitake mushrooms, caramelized onions, a roasted tomato, a Parmesan crisp and delish chipotle spiced ketchup. They came with sweet potato tots that have the consistency of whipped potatoes encased a slightly crunchy exterior. I think there’s a very light dusting of powdered sugar. (I might have to go back and get it again just to be sure!)

What makes this so unusual is that I very rarely order a burger at any restaurant. Little known fact, I have neverin my life eaten a McDonald’s, Wendy’s or Burger King burger because I am very picky about the quality of beef used in burgers. Oh, and I never use ketchup. Pair it with chipotle peppers, though, and I am all in.

The atmosphere was quite different when I went with Mike and Bill on a Sunday afternoon. This is very much a sports bar with different games playing on several TVs. I sunk in to my Umami. It was almost as good as the previous visit. Bill had an Elvis burger, kind of your basic cheeseburger with house fries and a mocha spiked shake. The spiked mocha is a chocolate milkshake spiked with Kahlua and Irish Cream.

Mike, who wasn’t particularly hungry, got the 5 Street Chili with smoked cornbread. He thought it had a surprisingly different flavor that we had trouble determining. The flavor wasn’t bad, just unexpected.

After the late lunch, it was time to send Bill packing. We waved goodbye on the Departure level at the airport. This was a really fun “Bill” Trip. But, the planning cycle begins again. I can’t wait to see what I come up with next.

We started with brunch at 5Church Mike and I tried this place when they first opened awhile back during Restaurant Week. We didn’t feel it lived up to the hype then but wanted to give it a second chance.

Concrete Tablecloth

At the time, the décor got a lot of press. That’s the complete text of “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu hand-painted on the ceiling. The tables were concrete molded to look like they were draped with tablecloths, complete with very sharp edges. They must have ripped many pairs of pantyhose because the tables are now gone. These days only the upstairs bar still reflects that design element.

Bill was very happy with his mushroom and Swiss cheese Three Egg Omelette ($8). Mike was thrilled with his Chicken Salad Sandwich ($8), mostly because he asked that arugula be added to the local greens. It was my day for a miss. The Shrimp & Anson Mills Polenta (fancy-schmancy for shrimp & grits) ($14) was incredibly salty. I think the problem was the combo of a heavy-handed chef compounded by really salty bacon. The waitress offered to take it back to the kitchen but by then I had already made a dent and decided to just eat it.

Fortified, we were ready to get down and dirty. The plan was to pan for gold at Reed Gold Mine. The website says to wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. I wondered if we had to stand in a river to pan. Nuggets of gold danced in my head.

We arrived just after a school busload of kids descended on the mine for a field trip. We sighed with relief as they were hustled off somewhere and we were left almost alone to watch the movie explaining the history of the mine. The quality is pretty poor and it needs to be redone in high-def. The mine is a state-run historical site. The North Carolina government is on a cost-cutting bender. Some generous donations are going to have to be dropped into the bucket before a new version is shot. C’mon all you wealthy spelunkers!

Our tour guide Aaron opined that the bad weather forecast that didn’t “pan out.” (Get it? Pan out?) probably scared off most of the tourists. It was only Bill, Mike and me on the tour. Aaron was just learning the ropes. We told him if he had to refer to notes along the way that was fine with us.

Walking towards the mine, Aaron pointed out the documented spot where 12-year-old Conrad Reed discovered the first gold. His father, John, didn’t know what the rock was and held onto it for 3 years before selling it to a jeweler. The jeweler asked him to name his price and John asked for $3.50. It was really worth $3,600.

This particular tour normally does not include going into the mines. But Aaron indulges the three big kids who have never been here. He quickly forgot about his notes and excitedly started pointing out features. He spied exhibit number 3, a vein of white quartz and explained how gold is often found in those type veins.

The temperature cooled as we headed further underground. The original tunnels were only 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Though they are a couple of feet taller these days, it is still easy to get claustrophobic.

We emerged after seeing exploratory tunnels, ore carts and even peering down into the bottom of mine shafts. We climbed back out to check things out on the surface. Fifty feet above where we were just standing was the Morgan Shaft head frame with a bucket, or kibble, as it is called in gold miner terms.

Meandering through the woods, we passed the chimney and foundation of the old Engine House, and the Brunerville area where 20 mining company buildings once stood. The powder house, as in explosive powder, was set far away from the cabins, blacksmith, the shop and other buildings in case it blew up.

From anywhere on the property, you can hear the great Stamp Mill pounding away. Daniel, the operator has been there for decades. He helped build this restored mill and keeps it in running order. Whenever a group forms, he demonstrates how the loud machine crushes the ore and uses a water bath to reveal the gold. Like Aaron, he’s a font of knowledge with an obvious affection for the mine, the people of that era who lusted and fought over gold, but especially for this monstrosity of a machine that he helped reassemble.

Finally, it was time to make our fortune. Forget about sloshing in some creek wearing thigh-high waders. Just off the parking lot is a kiosk where we were given a pan full of dirt and rocks. We claimed a spot along a waist-high trough filled with muddy water and were given instructions on how to pan.

According to the man who supervised the trough, the gold will sink to the bottom of the pan so our goal was to remove the top layers of rocks and dirt. Gingerly, we dipped our pans in the water, sloshed it around until most of the water was out and then repeated and repeated and repeated and repeated.

Aaron reported his first time panning took 20 minutes to a half hour. Since he got the hang of it… maybe five minutes now. It took us forever. As newbies we were so afraid that our gold would be lost in the water that we s-l-o-w-l-y swirled out small amounts of dirt at a time.

After about a half hour and nearing closing time, our instructor came to our rescue. He worked much faster and EUREKA! GOLD at the bottom of my pan! I’m rich, I tell you, RICH! Okay, so I wasn’t rich. The gold is more of a speck than a nugget. That’s my gold next to the quarter. You might have to zoom in on the picture to see it. It’s placed in a small vial of water so I don’t lose my fortune.

Giddy with gold fever, I assumed that all pans yield a fleck or two. I was wrong. Mike and Bill were not as lucky. Their mud washed off to reveal empty pans. Still, we all had fun. And not a speck of mud spotted our clothes!

Our last stop of the day was hidden off the road in South Charlotte near I-485 and Rea Road in the Thornhill subdivision. Just past the homeowners’ association pool and clubhouse is the trailhead for Big Rock Nature Preserve. As the name implies, giant rocks are concealed by 23 acres of woods. It’s just a short walk down a well-worn trail. Some of the rocks have graffiti on them and there were a few stray beer bottles. It’s an oddity worth the quick drive if you are looking to kill a little time and take some goofy pictures.